Temporal Reconnaissance
by koinekid
Summary: Still recovering from the events of the episode "Identity," Jennifer visits Rodney in Janus's lab, where the pair fall victim to another of the Ancient inventor's dangerous devices.
1. Chapter 1: Look, Don't Touch

**Temporal Reconnaissance **

**By koinekid**

**Time Frame: After Identity (Season 5 Episode 18)**

**Spoilers: Identity**

*** * ***

_Chapter One: Look, Don't Touch_

"And what's rule one in Janus's lab?"

Jennifer Keller crossed her arms over her chest. Taking a deep breath, she uncrossed and forced them to her sides. _Your boyfriend is concerned for you, Keller, and for good reason. Don't bite his head off._ Her lips curled into a deliberate smile. "It's sweet of you to worry, Rodney, but I won't make the same mistake again."

Rodney McKay tried to affect a stern demeanor, but his bunched-up eyebrows and thinly compressed lips were too comical a sight for her to be intimidated. And his words came out more like a whine than the serious rebuke he intended them to be. Members of his staff might wither under his glare and sharp tongue, but they made her want to laugh.

"Jennifer, you nearly died."

"Someone would have handled that device eventually, and whoever did would've switched places with Neeva. It could have been you."

"I wish it had been," he grumbled.

"Fancy spending time as a woman, McKay?" She rested a hand on her hip.

"What? Jen, no, I—"

"You would have freaked."

Rodney snorted. "And I suppose you were the picture of calm throughout?"

They had maintained eye contact during their exchange, a challenging sparkle in her balmy browns, concern and annoyance in his bright blues. Now, her eyes fell. Being trapped in another woman's body stirred a lot of emotions in Jennifer; calm wasn't among them. Nor was she as ready to joke about her ordeal as she assumed, not if the fingers tracing the puckered flesh of her bullet wound were any indication.

The sound of a groan brought her attention back to Rodney. "Oh, honey, I didn't think." He pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Trust me to make flirting depressing."

She rewarded his remark with shallow laughter, then returned his hug before he could break it. A quick kiss, and she pulled away, shooting him a dazzling smile.

"Feel better?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now, then, what's rule one?"

Her jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

*** * ***

"What does this one do?"

"Erects a forcefield. Outsiders can see in, insiders can't see out."

"This one?"

"Creates solid light constructs."

"So...holograms you can touch..." Jennifer's eyes lit up. "Like on a holodeck?"

Rodney smiled indulgently. "Far more rudimentary, and that one's only a prototype. We'd need a dozen or more production models to create anything close to a very, very small holosuite. And the power consumption would drain a ZedPM within minutes."

"Holosuite?"

"I was more of a DS9 fan."

"Hard to believe you liked a show with no cute blonds." She smiled to signal it was a joke, but his eyes were locked on his tablet computer.

"I know. I almost stopped watching TNG when they killed off Tasha Yar. Did for a while when they got rid of Wesley Crusher."

"Tell me you did not like Wesley Crusher. No one liked Wesley Crusher. Wil Wheaton didn't like Wesley Crusher."

Rodney jammed a thumb into his chest as he glanced up. "Hello—young, disaffected genius not taken seriously by his peer group. Wesley Crusher was who I wanted to be."

"But you were..." She did the calculation. "Eighteen, nineteen when TNG premiered."

"Fine, he's who I wished I was at fifteen."

"I bet you still wish you were Wesley Crusher."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Have you been taking lessons from Sheppard? Because you're very good at mocking me."

"Nope, we disaffected geniuses need to develop coping mechanisms for our social awkwardness. You have your arrogance." She bumped shoulders with him. "I have my teasing."

"Jennifer, as amusing as these jokes at my expense undoubtedly are, I do have serious work to do."

"Then find me some new medical marvel to play with, and I'll—" She paused at his glare. "Find me some new medical marvel to look at from a distance and not touch, and I'll let you work undisturbed."

"Janus wasn't a medical researcher."

Jennifer threw up her hands.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to spend time with me, and—" At her glare, he amended, "And of course I want to spend time with you, too. Tell you what, let's take a look at this. It's nothing medical, but it might just be a marvel."

Taking her elbow, Rodney led her to a workstation at the far side of the lab. Atop it, set an aluminum case. He popped the latches and raised the lid on an interior that looked empty until Jennifer's eyes adjusted. The item inside was the same color as the dark foam nestled around it.

Rodney pulled on a thick orange glove which Jennifer recognized as part of an environmental suit. "It gets pretty hot when it's been plugged in a while," he explained, sliding the artifact—a perfect cube so intensely black it gleamed—out of the foam and guiding it carefully into a slot on the console that seemed to be made for it. The cube glowed briefly as he snapped the case shut and bent to deposit it on the floor, and then darkened again by the time he stood up. "So, what do you think?"

Jennifer shrugged. "It's nice, very symmetrical. I don't know that I'd describe it as 'marvelous.'"

"I would." His expression was positively hangdog.

She took pity. "Perhaps if you explained what it is..."

"Right, of course." Rodney smacked his forehead. "Jennifer, if our readings are correct, then this cube is an actual black body."

"I'll assume we're not talking biology."

"Physics." His eyebrows were bunched-up in that unintentionally comical way again.

Jennifer thought he was really going to lay into her, and she placed both hands on her hips to strike a confrontational pose. She'd give as good as she got. McKay, though—she always thought of him as McKay when they argued—surprised her by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Just like that the tension melted away.

"Black bodies absorb one hundred percent of all electromagnetic radiation they touch." Rodney—yep, he was Rodney again—continued as if nothing had happened. "They're the theoretical cornerstone of quantum mechanics, theoretical because they don't exist in nature. No one on Earth has been able to manufacture one. The closest we've ever come is coating an object in a nickel-phosphorous alloy called super-black developed in the UK, and it has a point four percent reflection rate. Japanese scientists are working on something with carbon nanotubes, but I doubt it will pan out...What?"

"Nothing, Rodney."

"You're smiling through one of my physics lectures. Something must be up."

"You were going to yell at me."

"First of all, no, I wasn't. Second, why would that make you smile?"

"Because you were going to yell, and you stopped. Because you love me."

"Which is precisely why I wouldn't yell at you." His voice raised a few octaves. "You're not one of those addle-brained dimwits the IOA insists on staffing my department with. You're—"

A grin spread across her face. "Now you're yelling at me about how you weren't going to yell at me."

"I'm not yell—" Rodney was right. As Jennifer's lips claimed his, he was no longer yelling.

Nor was he thinking.

Or noticing.

As the cube retracted into the console and a forcefield surrounded it.

As the temperature in the lab rose and the lights dimmed.

As the cube's color shifted from black to violet, from violet to red, red to white, to blue.

And he did not notice the voice of expedition leader Richard Woolsey over his earwig inquiring about the massive power spike that sensors had detected in Janus's lab. This last item he failed to notice because for Rodney, and for Jennifer, everything had already gone black.

_**TBC**_

_**Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**_


	2. Chapter 2: All Our Yesterdays

**Temporal Reconnaissance**

**By koinekid**

**Time Frame: After The Return (Season 3 Episodes 10 and 11)**

**Spoilers: The Return (pts 1 and 2)**

**Author's Note: **In this story, I will assume that Jennifer Keller was among many new expedition members added after the events of _The Return _(Season 3, Episodes 10 and 11)_._ This chapter takes place between Season 3, Episodes 11 and 12.

_*** * ***_

_**Chapter Two: All Our Yesterdays Are Tomorrows**_

_October 2006_

_Five Days After SGA-1 Retook Atlantis _

For the first time in far too long, Rodney McKay smiled. Standing on one of Atlantis's many balconies at dusk, watching as the light ebbed then vanished, he realized that Sheppard had been right: This city was home. Rodney had acknowledged as much before, even echoed the sentiment more than once, but only in the general sense that any place you regularly sleep is home. A breeze fluttered through his hair—like a lover's caress, that pesky sentimental side of his insisted. He laughed, a single, brusque "Ha!" then turned to head inside, scooping up his tablet as he went.

An on-screen alert notified Rodney that the diagnostic he'd ordered ninety minutes ago had completed. He tapped the proper icon and cursed as he read the results. During their occupation of the city, the Asuran replicators had made a mess of things trying to modify the Ancient computers. Control and security mainframes checked out all right, but so far every system that served no purpose for non-biological lifeforms showed evidence of tampering. Medical had been hit hard.

The polymorphic encryption disguising the alterations could be broken in time, but the IOA expected Atlantis to resume normal operations by the first of the month. The quick and dirty solution would be to freeze the system, then run a detailed comparison of the altered database with a clean copy, removing what did not match. A good plan, assuming he could locate—or, failing that, reconstruct—a clean copy. Before the Ancients tossed them out of Atlantis, Rodney copied chunks of the city's database onto every available hard drive. Medical data, though, had not been one of his priorities. He had maybe forty percent of it.

Perhaps the Head of Medicine had downloaded the rest?

Rodney's hand was halfway to his earwig before he remembered that Carson Beckett had left for Earth that morning for a week of orientation with his new medical recruits. And, of course, to rescue his pets, the "wee baby turtles" he'd purchased when he thought he'd left Atlantis for good. "You don't understand, Rodney," Carson had whined over the bawhoosh of the forming wormhole. "The poor babies are probably dead already."

Rodney's response, "Then why rush back?" had sent Carson marching through the gate in a huff.

He tried to remember who was in charge of the infirmary in Carson's absence but soon realized that he had no idea which members of the medical staff were currently on Atlantis. For that matter, he wasn't sure who on his staff had returned. Zelenka was taking his sweet time disentangling himself from whatever third-rate university or fourth-rate research lab had hired him. He should be the one doing this busy work. Thoughts of how to punish his tardy second-in-command accompanied him to the transporter.

In the infirmary, he nodded curtly to the on-duty nurse and made himself at home in Carson's office, being sure to check whether the physician had replenished his emergency candy stash. He had. Rodney popped a Hershey's kiss into his mouth before beginning his search.

Carson's main terminal yielded nothing. Nor did two others in the office. He found twelve percent of the database in the Recycle Bin of a third and smaller portions in several external hard drives. Some of the data overlapped what he already had, but, after a few hours, he'd reassembled eighty-seven percent of the medical database. He instructed the computer to run a comparison, flag the inconsistencies, and quarantine those sectors for which there were no corresponding clean copies. He'd get Zelenka to spot-check those sectors when he returned.

He placed an administrative lock on the terminal he'd claimed, swiped a handful of chocolates, and headed for the exit. Oh his way, he bumped the desk, and Carson's tablet fell to the floor with a clatter. Cringing, Rodney bent to retrieve the tablet and came face to face with an angel. _That damn sentimental streak again._ He'd examined the tablet earlier but tossed it aside without paying attention to the active window when it didn't contribute to his search.

He paid attention now.

Though, he wasn't sure why. The photo was unremarkable. Certainly, the young woman was striking, perhaps even beautiful. Tapping the screen increased the picture's size. Yes, definitely beautiful. And blond, always a plus in his book. Rodney preferred the women he dated to wear short hair, but he had to admit long hair suited her. He found, too, that her brown eyes didn't bother him all that much, not if they were as warm in person as they promised to be.

Her eyes were not the only source of warmth. Heat rose in Rodney's abdomen and spread throughout his body, and his heart thumped in his chest. _Damn it, I'm having a panic attack. _Frantically, he scanned the area for the nurse and tried to slow his breathing. _In, out, in, out._ Nothing about the photo should have provoked such a reaction. The woman had done her best to look serious, staring straight ahead without a hint of a smile. Mugshots were more flattering. Still, Jennifer Keller's beauty could not help but shine through her dour expression.

Emerging into the infirmary proper and screaming for the nurse, he wondered how he had known Jennifer's name. It must have been written on the tablet, but he couldn't recall having read it. Yet, he knew beyond doubt:

That Jennifer Keller had more academic degrees than he did, and he wasn't nearly as jealous as he should have been...

That she secretly hated her hometown until she moved to a city for the first time...

That she lost her mother years ago and never spoke about it...

That she loved her father dearly and feared leaving him alone...

That she loved _him_ and had chosen him over—Oh, my God—over Ronon Dex!

Clarity struck, and Rodney all at once knew why he knew these things. Then a blinding pain bent him double and he was on the floor, muscles tensed and limbs drawn against his trunk. He moaned, then wept at the pain's brilliance and couldn't find it in him to care, even when he realized the nurse knelt at his side, sliding something soft under his head. He heard a voice, probably hers, but he couldn't make out the words.

A minute or an hour later, he heard other noises, what might have been boots pounding down the hall, then looked up in time to see Colonel Sheppard skid to a stop. Hastily tied combat boots contrasted sharply with his sleep pants and graphic tee. Ronon was not far behind and... _My God, is that what he wears to sleep?_

Ronon's presence reminded him, and he tried to say, "John, she picked me over him." He never knew whether he succeeded. A crystal clear image of Jennifer's naked body banished all other thoughts. He had but a moment to marvel at the glorious glimpse of perfection beckoning him to her before the next wave seized him. Muscles contracted and relaxed, contracted and relaxed, sending him into violent, rolling convulsions. Eyes rolled back into his head, and his jaw contracted, molars clamping down on his tongue. Blood pooled in his mouth, and he began to choke. John helped the nurse turn him on his side so he could spit out the blood. The jostling turned his stomach, and vomit followed the blood. The act of vomiting sapped the last of his strength, and Rodney quite contentedly left the waking world behind.

*** * ***

"Will this be your first time through the Stargate, Dr. Keller?"

Jennifer tried her best not to groan as pretty-boy Cameron Mitchell added himself to the growing list of men at Stargate Command who had asked her that same question. Couldn't any of them devise a better pickup line? "No, Colonel, this will be my fourth trip off world. I've been on three medical missions to planets in the Milky Way."

"That a fact?" Mitchell grinned. "Have to admit I had you pegged as a greenhorn. You were giving off that whole deer in the headlights vibe."

Jennifer shrugged. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"Noted. It's 'Cam,' by the way, not Colonel."

Knowing it was expected of her, she replied, "Cam." Why did she have to be so damn nice? Flirting might be a good way to score free beer off college boys in Boston, but she was a professional now.

Mitchell leaned forward. "This is the part where you say, 'Call me "Jennifer."'"

"I'll keep that in mind for future reference." Okay, maybe she wasn't all that nice. Nor did she need to be any longer. Carson picked that moment to enter the gate room, decked out in his gray and yellow uniform sans patches and struggling under the weight of a backpack and three duffels. Jennifer sprang to help though she carried two bags of her own.

Carson shook his head. "Mind your own gear, love." He looked over his shoulder. "You can dial Atlantis now, Sergeant."

"That's my cue. Best make myself scarce." Mitchell winked. "Take care of yourself, Doc. If you need anything, you know our number."

"Don't wait up for that call, Cam. I'm sure I'll have dozens of strapping, young soldiers to meet my needs in Pegasus." Jennifer smirked at the blush spreading across Mitchell's cheeks. Her face fell a moment later when she realized her boss had heard the retort. "I'm just kidding, Carson."

"Aye, I'm just surprised that you can do that so effectively." The Scot laughed. "I was going to say 'don't let Colonel Mitchell's advances faze you since you'll be fending off many more like him on Atlantis.' Now I see my advice isn't necessary."

She blushed and pretended to adjust the strap on her computer bag, jumping a little at the noise of the wormhole forming.

Carson strode up the ramp toward the event horizon. Once he stepped through, he would arrive almost instantaneously in Atlantis. Ordinarily gate travel to Pegasus would take nearly half an hour and require use of a puddle jumper. Today, however, one of the fully-powered ZPMs the Asurans had left behind in Atlantis was powering the earth gate. It was a temporary convenience. Once the rest of the expedition returned to Atlantis, the ZPM would be relocated to the antarctic outpost and travel would be routed through Dr. McKay's midway gate system. Carson clenched his eyes shut, his revulsion at being demolecularized apparent. Putting on a shaky smile, he said, "Well, then, shall we see what Dr. McKay has done to himself this time?"

Jennifer nodded, more than a little excited. Half an hour ago, she'd been seated in a conference room while Dr. Beckett lectured on Pegasus Galaxy pathogens that mimicked earth-based ones and the importance of knowing the difference. Then Sergeant Harriman arrived with an urgent summons for Beckett's return. Without hesitation, he asked Jennifer to accompany him, leaving behind a table full of older, more experienced, and now resentful doctors.

She figured Carson would start her out slow with mundane surgery and methodical research, nudging her out of her comfort zone a little at a time until he judged her ready for the exotic cases that he dealt with on a daily basis. She assumed she'd have to wait at least a year before being allowed to play with the big kids. Instead, on her first day, she'd be consulting on Dr. Rodney McKay's unexplained seizure and subsequent unconsciousness—a logical decision, if not a popular one, since one of her Ph.D.'s was in neurology.

Jennifer had been reviewing McKay's medical file—a paper copy since the SGC had not adopted widespread use of computer tablets—when Mitchell approached her. Not wanting to appear rude, she slipped the file into her bag while he engaged her in conversation. The deer in the headlights look he'd mentioned had nothing to do with gate travel, which admittedly she still wasn't all that comfortable with; it had everything to do with treating someone so important.

McKay was the head of a department and a member of Atlantis's premier gate team, someone, who—if the rumors were true—was as smart as she. There wasn't an arrogant bone in Jennifer Keller's body, but she truly hated talking to stupid people. Nothing turned her on, so to speak, more than a good intellectual discussion. Now all she had to do to have that discussion was diagnose and treat the good doctor.

Tentatively, she had ruled out epilepsy. McKay had no family or personal history, and, while adult onset was possible, it was rare, especially for a thirty-eight-year-old. Hypoglycemia could also result in seizures. His chart indicated he often claimed to experience the effects of low blood sugar, but none of his doctors had formally diagnosed the condition. Her mind cycled rapidly through a litany of obscure conditions that might cause seizures before she reminded herself that the obscurer the condition, the less likely your patient is suffering from it. Sleep deprivation, stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise were the triggers she should focus on first.

Once on the other side of the wormhole, the physicians were met by met by the head of Atlantis's military. Carson introduced him as Colonel John Sheppard. Jennifer would come to know him as one of those Mitchell-like men that Carson warned her about, but now, because of the pinched expression on his face and his hastily ushering them to the infirmary, she took him as a man concerned for his friend. It was a first impression he'd never fail to live up to.

"Tell us what happened, Colonel." Carson struggled to keep pace with the soldier. "And, for heaven's sake, slow down."

Sheppard slowed to a more manageable gait, for which Jennifer was grateful. Even though she was in better shape than Carson, she was no match for a seasoned soldier.

"According to your nurse Marie, Rodney enters the infirmary at around 1830 and goes straight for your office—"

"My office?"

"We've had computer issues because of the Replicators. Rodney's been working on repairing them all week."

Jennifer raised her hand, a habit she'd yet to break despite having been out of school for over a year. "Has he been getting adequate rest?"

Sheppard shook his head. "Rodney never gets enough rest."

"Go on, Colonel," Carson prompted.

"Just past 2100, Rodney runs out of your office, screaming and clutching his stomach. He falls to the floor, shaking, and..." Sheppard chewed his lip, regarding Jennifer before continuing. "...well, crying."

Jennifer grimaced in sympathy. "The pain must have been awful to cause such a reaction." She understood the colonel's reticence. He didn't want to embarrass Rodney in front of a stranger, even a doctor.

Sheppard nodded, a half smile on his lips. "Marie called me, and I rushed down. Grabbed Ronon on the way."

Carson frowned. "Was Rodney coherent when you reached him? Did he say anything that might give us a clue?"

"He said something, all right, but I don't think it's a clue. I think he was delusional."

"What did he say?"

Sheppard sighed. "Something about a girl picking him over Ronon."

Carson nodded. "Aye, definitely delusional."

*** * ***

_Be sure_, Jennifer's family medicine professor had cautioned, _to scope out the friends and family when you enter a patient's room. Judge their moods, decide which ones are likely to make trouble and take pains to avoid giving them too much ammunition._

She put that advice into practice as soon as she entered McKay's room. Sheppard might be trouble. He seemed the type to assume that treating his friend was as simple as following a set of directions written somewhere in that magical database of theirs. She regarded the pair seated around McKay's bed and decided they wouldn't be trouble. Ronon Dex seemed to fit the cliché of tall, dark, and handsome, with enough strong and silent thrown in that, if he had objections, he wouldn't voice them. Serenity exuded from Teyla Emmagen, and Jennifer wondered if she had found the woman Carson and Sheppard implied Dex and McKay were fighting over.

If so, McKay would need all the luck he could get. Dex might be out of Jennifer's league, but a beauty like Teyla had a shot.

Jealousy spread ice through her veins as soon as Jennifer saw her patient. Teyla could have Ronon if she wanted. Rodney belonged to her. Despite the oxygen tubes and his haggard, disheveled appearance, he was the handsomest man she'd ever seen. Her conscious mind fought the allegation. Certainly, he was not unpleasant to look at, but she'd seen more attractive men. _No!_ Her subconscious fought back, insisting that his was the face by which she would evermore judge all others.

Without deciding to, she dropped her medical bags, heedless of damaging the expensive equipment inside, and strode forward.

"Jennifer, what are you...?"

She ignored Carson, pushed past Ronon and Teyla, and slipped her hand into Rodney's. Bending, she pressed a kiss to his cold, cracked lips, and whispered, "Sweetheart, it's okay. Jennifer's here now."

Rodney's eyes snapped open as she pulled back. He first caught sight of Teyla at the foot of his bed, shock evident in her wide-open eyes. Ronon smirked, while nearby Sheppard and Carson were chopfallen—Carson especially, glancing from his protégé to his best friend, and then dropping his head into his hands, muttering something Rodney thought it best he was too far away to hear.

The he saw her, felt her hand in his, and squeezed. "Jen..."

She was still standing since Ronon hadn't yet vacated his seat. He was doing just that, motivated mostly by the glare Rodney sent his way, when Jennifer's hand went limp in Rodney's. She pitched forward, and her knees buckled. Rodney could do nothing but watch her fall. Ronon reacted swiftly, slipping an arm around her waist and sweeping her into his arms.

Rodney almost protested when the Satedan carried her to the bed on the other side of the room. He stood to follow, but Sheppard's restraining hand pushed him back into bed.

"But Jennifer—"

"Beckett's taking care of her, Rodney. You sit tight."

"But—"

"You try to stumble over there in your condition and you'll crack your skull open. Then Beckett will have two patients to deal with."

Rodney nodded his acquiescence, but he craned his neck to see past the medical staff surrounding Jennifer. He caught sight of her hand flopping about as the seizure wracked her frame, and he groaned.

Carson's voice rose as he spat out orders for MRI's, EEG's, and blood work for both his patients. Rodney groaned again as he heard the words "lumbar puncture."

"And seal off the infirmary. We might be dealing with a communicable pathogen." Carson tapped his earwig. "Beckett to Doctor..."

Sheppard slumped down into the empty chair beside the bed and squeezed Rodney's shoulder. "All right, Sleeping Beauty, looks like we're going to be here a while. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

_**TBC**_

_**Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Sleeper Has Awakened

**Review Responses (See below)**

**Note: Updated for style and expanded on at 20:40 UTC on 21 December 2009**

**Temporal Reconnaissance**

**By koinekid**

**Time Frame: After Identity (Season 5, episode 18); After The Return (Season 3, episodes 10 and 11)**

**Spoilers: 3x10, 11 The Return, 5x18 Identity (major); 4x1 Adrift, 4x2 Lifeline, 4x16 Trio, 4x20 The Last Man (minor)**

*** * ***

_**Chapter Three: The Sleeper Has Awakened**_

_October 2006_

_Five Days After SGA-1 Retook Atlantis_

Deaf to Sheppard's protests, Rodney threw his legs over the side of the bed. He made no attempt to stand. Sitting was the most he could manage at the moment, and, now that Jennifer's seizure had run its course, his irrational need to be by her side was not so pressing. Catching the eye of Jennifer's favorite nurse, he beckoned her over.

"All right, Sleeping Beauty," Sheppard said. "Looks like we're going to be here a while. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Sleeping beauty?" Teyla raised a brow.

Sheppard grinned. "The new doc woke Rodney with a kiss."

"And this makes him a 'sleeping beauty?'"

Sheppard gave Jennifer's unconscious form an appraising look, not exactly lecherous, not exactly innocent. "I'd say Keller's the beautiful one."

Rodney capped his irritation, too concerned for Jennifer to rise to Sheppard's bait. The Air Force colonel had never given the pretty Midwestern doctor a second glance so far as Rodney knew. Resentment over her perceived culpability in Elizabeth Weir's death had not been easily let go, and, by the time it had, two other members of SGA-1 were competing over Jennifer. That made her off limits to its team leader. In theory, anyway.

"Any special reason she'd kiss you, McKay? Other than _really _great bedside manner, I mean?"

"We're dating, obviously." He and Jennifer had been discreet; still, Sheppard, if anyone, should have figured it out.

"Does _she_ know you're dating?"

"Sheppard."

"Just teasing. So, you and Katie are..."

"I haven't spoken to Katie since she transferred back to Earth."

"And you met Dr. Keller—sorry, Jennifer on the rebound. Where the best and most meaningful relationships always start."

Rodney ignored Sheppard's smirk and the baffling inaccuracy of his statement in favor of shifting his attention to the nurse at his side. He frowned at the blood collection kit Marie was unpacking. He remembered Carson ordering blood work, but offering up his precious bodily fluids for pseudo-scientific testing hadn't been the reason Rodney called the nurse over. Still, he extended his arm without complaint and tried to act the part of the good patient while she skewered him.

Asking about Jennifer's condition resulted in Marie mumbling something about doctor-patient confidentiality. Protesting that he was a concerned friend—he almost said "loved one," but he and Jennifer had yet to use the L-word in public—accomplished even less. He was about to drop the nice guy routine and demand she fetch an actual doctor, when Sheppard came to the rescue. Marie had finished collecting blood and was labeling the vial, and Sheppard almost casually pointed out that stress was believed to be a major contributing factor to seizures. Putting Rodney's mind at ease, he suggested, would be beneficial to his health. Rodney didn't know how Sheppard knew that but was more than glad he did.

"Since you all witnessed everything," Marie said, exhaling a breath, "I don't suppose it's too big a breach of ethics for me to explain what you saw. Dr. Keller..." She lowered her voice as if to hide her ethical breach no matter how small. "Dr. Keller experienced a mild tonic-clonic seizure. Much less severe than yours, Dr. McKay."

"Mine? I don't remember a seizure, just..." _Jennifer's tongue in my mouth._ Rodney blushed.

"Short term memory loss is a common side effect. Don't let it concern you."

"Easy for you to say. You're not missing a chunk of your life."

Drs. Beckett and Cole were rolling Jennifer toward the exit, and, as the gurney neared, Rodney caught a good glimpse of her for the first time since her seizure. The paleness in her cheeks worried him. "Where are you taking her? Carson, answer me."

"To the scanner, Rodney." Annoyance made the Scot's voice shrill. "I'll be back for you shortly, and I'll expect none of your customary poor attitude. Dither about all you want when it's only your health at risk. But when my dear friend is ill, you'll nae waste my time."

Dr. Cole had gone on ahead while Carson made his threats. Before following, he cast a glare at Marie. "Off to the lab with you."

"Marie," Rodney called to the retreating nurse. "Jennifer will be all right, won't she? She'll wake up soon?"

Half turning, she replied, "You did, and there's no reason to think she won't. We'll know more after the tests."

*** * ***

Carson returned minutes later as promised, his mood no lighter.

In the meantime, Rodney had commandeered Sheppard's earwig in an attempt to contact his second-in-command. Doubtless, Radek had a team checking Janus's lab for whatever might have caused these seizures. Since Carson's stupid lockdown kept Rodney from being there in person, monitoring Radek's every move over video chat seemed the next best thing. To facilitate that, he'd sent Teyla after the spare laptop in Jennifer's office (along with its AC adapter since the battery was probably dead). After ten minutes, she'd returned with the wrong computer—an outdated model with no webcam—and no power cord. At least the battery had been charged. He searched the network for preliminary reports, but so far the science team had filed nothing.

"Radek? Radek Zelenka?" Rodney removed the earwig to examine it. "Is it broken? Don't you take care of your equipment?"

Sheppard crossed his arms. "Maybe you broke it during your decontamination ritual."

"I wiped it down with a tissue."

"A tissue drenched in hand sanitizer, which is bad for electronics since it's a liquid."

"A fluid, actually, and I told you I'm not touching anything that's been near one of your orifices without cleaning it or taking antibiotics first. Besides, I'm highly susceptible to ear infections because of this medication I'm on—"

"It's around your ear, not inside. There's no risk of infection."

"'No risk of infection.' How many women have heard you make that speech?" Rodney tried the earwig once more, exaggerating his pronunciation and increasing his volume as if speaking to a child. "MC-KAY TO ZE-LEN-KA."

"Zelenka isn't back yet, remember?" Sheppard reached for the earwig, but the physicist jerked away.

"Back?" He left? "Did Woolsey give him time off again? If he skipped out on work for another cousin's funeral—"

"Woolsey? Janus's lab? Keller's office? You realize you're not making sense, don't you, McKay?"

"One of us isn't."

Any response Sheppard might have offered was preempted by the squeal of sneakers approaching at a rapid pace. The verbal combatants both winced at the ear-splitting sounds. Even Ronon, who'd been so silent that Rodney had forgotten he was there, looked uncomfortable.

Fire in his eyes, Carson made directly for Rodney's bed, waving a tablet madly. "What did you do to my database? I'm completely locked out, I can't even access the scanners."

"Me?" Rodney shrank back. "I didn't do anything."

"It's locked with your authorization code. I can't help my patient as long as you—"

"Let me see that." Rodney snatched the tablet. "Huh, so it is." He input his password. "There you go, full access restored. No harm done. How's Jennifer? Is she awake yet?"

Carson's mouth moved as if forming sounds. Had he put breath behind them, Rodney was sure he would have heard cursing. At last, "Aye, and she's asking for you. You'll see her when I'm done examining her, not a moment before." The doctor turned on his heel and left.

Rodney sagged back into bed, relieved at the good news but also puzzled by his confrontation with Carson. He didn't remember locking the medical database. Come to think of it, he hadn't altered a single setting in weeks. Modifying her systems without consulting her upset Jennifer. After the body-switching incident, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

What he really wanted—needed to do was figure this out. For that he needed data. "McKay to Control."

"This is Chuck. Go ahead, Doctor."

"Chuck, did sensors pick up anything unusual..." Marie said the seizure happened ninety minutes ago. Add time since her departure. An hour, forty-five. The computer's clock said 22:47. Odd, it had been early afternoon when he'd taken Jennifer to the lab. "...around 21:00?"

"Just a sec...Nothing, Dr. McKay."

That made no sense. He'd taken Janus's sensor dampeners offline months ago. Shaking his head, he instructed Chuck to issue a city-wide alert asking whoever was in charge of science in his and Radek's absence to contact him via Sheppard's line ASAP. _Now to pursue another line of research._ "John, I need to talk to whoever found me. Maybe they noticed something useful."

"You already did. It was Marie."

"She's not a first responder." Those were doctors and orderlies with strong backs. "What was she doing in the lab?"

"Rodney, you collapsed here, probably from overworking yourself. Get some sleep, and you'll be fine in the morning."

"John, I collapsed in Janus's lab after triggering..." He snapped his fingers and smiled his eureka smile. "Of course, the cube was just a power source. I was so entranced with the discovery of an actual black body I didn't consider it might be the ultimate electromagnetic radiation collector, a solar panel on steroids that works in a closed room. The man was a genius! Not on my level, but damn good."

Rodney stood, faltering a little before settling into a steady pacing about the room. "I don't know what the cube powered, but give me an hour and I should have some idea." Turning to go, he plowed into Teyla, who was just reentering the room with the long awaited AC adapter. He and she hit the floor, and the adapter clattered away.

Teyla recovered first in time to help Sheppard pull the physicist to his feet. "Perhaps you should return to bed, Rodney. You do not seem steady on your feet."

He waved off her concern. "I'm fine. Just glad this didn't happen last year."

"Last year?"

"Falls are bad during pregnancy. My second grade teacher slipped over a projector cord, almost miscarried."

Teyla's eyes widened.

"I shouldn't have said anything, should I?" Rodney's face fell. "Jennifer says I need to be more tactful. I'm not sure I agree. You can't really change the truth by hiding it. But you have enough to worry over without thinking about could-have-beens. Sorry."

"Rodney, I have never been pregnant." She threw a glance at Sheppard when she spoke.

"Fine, 'with child,' 'expecting,' whatever term you prefer. Look, I've got to talk to Carson about ending this lockdown. Say 'hello' to Torren for me. Again, sorry."

Sheppard sidled up to Teyla as Rodney exited. "Torren?"

"My father's name was Torren, but he ceased to live many years ago." She paused. "And, regardless of terminology, I have never been pregnant. I fear something is very wrong with our friend."

"I'll go after him."

Ronon stepped forward. "Need backup?"

"Against Rodney?" Sheppard shook his head, then, "Might as well."

Without warning, Rodney returned nearly colliding with Ronon this time. Mumbling an apology, he walked at a sharp clip back to his bed. He scooped up the laptop, tapped the space bar to wake up the suspended display, and double-clicked the clock in the taskbar.

"John, is this date correct?"

"October 18, 2006. Yeah, it's right. Why?"

Rodney groaned. "I think I know why no one's heard of Janus's lab, why Teyla's never been pregnant..." _Why I just talked to our dead expedition leader. _"Because none of it's happened yet. The device I mentioned? I think it's a sort of...transmitter designed for...I don't know, temporal...reconnaissance."

"You think you've stumbled across a machine that...what, predicts the future?"

"Not yet."

"Huh?"

"Let me put it this way: You know how much I hate the film _Back to the Future_? Well, I hate it even more now that I'm living it."

"All right, Michael J. Fox," Sheppard said. "Assuming you're right about all this, shouldn't you try to minimize the impact on the timeline?"

"Maybe, if I hadn't already told Teyla about her son. Besides, I already rewrote history once. Might as well make it a two-fer." He tapped the earwig. "McKay to Weir...Elizabeth, you can come down. Yeah, there's no biological contamination."

"That," said a voice in the doorway, "would be Carson's call."

"Jennifer." He smiled and started toward her. Then he stopped. She looked upset. Fear struck, and Rodney's mind cycled through worst-case scenarios: Jennifer remembered nothing and was a stranger to him. Jennifer remembered everything, blamed him, and would never speak to him again. Jennifer remembered...

Jennifer remembered. She recognized his fear, intuited its origin, and eradicated it with a wink and a mouthed "Love you."

Breathing hard, Carson caught up with her. "She bolted the moment she noticed the date stamp on the scans. Wouldn't hear of not seeing you."

Rodney tossed the computer aside and met Jennifer halfway, sliding his arms around her waist in a loose embrace. They were in public after all. "You noticed right away?" he said.

She nodded, returning his hug quickly then stepping back and taking his hands in hers.

"Took _me_ ten minutes." He smiled and blushed a little.

Jennifer grinned. "You're slipping, McKay. The old uniforms clued me in. The date stamp just confirmed it."

He looked at Carson, and, sure enough, the doctor wore an old-style jacket with the half-elliptical fields of yellow in the front rather than the understated diagonal striping the expedition had adopted in 2007.

"Wait, it's 2006. That means he's the..." Rodney's voice dropped to a whisper. "...the real Carson?"

"Uh-huh. Guess I've been demoted." The words were harsh, but she said them with a smile that harbored only a hint of sadness.

Rodney made a note to talk with her about that later. For now, he nodded toward his best friend. "You mind if I?"

"Go," Jennifer said.

Another quick squeeze, and he moved to where Carson stood, engulfing the Scot in a big bear hug.

"Okay, this is different," Carson said, adding, after a moment, "and it's starting to become the teensiest bit uncomfortable."

Laughing, Jennifer turned to the room's other occupants. "Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, I'm Jennifer Keller. I'll be one of your new physicians. It's good to meet you all again for the first time."

Ronon nodded, Sheppard casually saluted, and Teyla enfolded Jennifer's hand in both of hers. "It is good to meet you, Jennifer. Rodney made some...interesting comments earlier. Perhaps you will be able to explain them."

Jennifer nodded. "I'll try." Rodney could put his foot in his mouth quite easily. She could only imagine the effect temporal displacement would have on his social awkwardness. Was temporal displacement the right term if the "time travel" wasn't physical? Her first act on figuring out the date was to run her fingers over her abdomen. No bullet scar. And Rodney's hands no longer bore the scars from the rope burns he'd gotten the first time he saved her life. This suggested that their consciousnesses had been transferred to their younger selves. A bitter thought: The Ancients were quite good at transferring consciousnesses.

Another thought: This was her first real impression with Atlantis's military commander. "Colonel, I apologize for kissing Rodney earlier. It was unprofessional and a lapse in judgment."

"No problem, Doc. I always assume any woman who kisses Rodney is out of her right mind."

"Hey," Rodney whined.

Jennifer laughed. "I'm only apologizing for kissing in public." _Oh, what the hell. I care more about what Rodney thinks of me than Sheppard, anyway. _"I'm happy to say we do a lot more than kiss in private."

Her mischievous smile disappeared when she saw the woman standing next to Rodney in the doorway. "Dr. Weir."

"Dr. Keller, I presume."

_What was that about first impressions?_

_**TBC**_

_**Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**_

*** * ***

**Review Responses**

**Chapter 1 (forgot to include these last time):**

_**BetherdyBabe** – Thanks for the review. I'll try to stay as true to the characters as possible within the framework of the story. How would Rodney react? What would Jennifer say in this situation? etc. etc. _

_I feared the science might be a little much for some readers. Glad it was so well received._

_**DaniWilder** – the first to review a new McKeller :) Thank you for the kind words. I do place a lot of emphasis on characterization in my stories, and it's good to hear that I R and J are in character (still, I've been known to write OOC if it serves my purpose)._

And, no, I'm not a physicist, just a good researcher. Don't expect a lot of science in the story, and don't expect it to be completely real-world accurate. I'm trying for SciFi accurate. Anything beyond is icing.

_**ElisaD263** – Jennifer back down? Never. After watching the closing scene of Brain Storm, there's no doubt in my mind that she won't coddle McKay. You've got a problem? Here's the solution: be more humble. 'Sides, I prefer reading--and writing--about strong women._

_**Senrab Nomis** – Thanks for the review, and I hope I continue to meet the literary expectations of my readers. As for this being a canon piece...we'll see. Just because it starts out canon... _

**[Note: I have an idea for a story that takes place aboard _Daedalus _during the trip back to Atlantis following Brain Storm. The events could fit nicely in canon. It's a long story, so I'll wait until I finish this one, or at least make significant headway.]**

_**x Varda x** – Banter is kind of my thing so expect more of it--probably too much. Whumpage might be more mental than physical at first, but we'll have to see. [Based on Chapter 2, guess I was wrong.]_

_Thanks also to **LMXB** and **xPKx** for reviewing._

**Chapter 2:**

_**BetherdyBabe** – Jennifer immediately going over to Rodney? Blame the hopeless romantic in me. I hope to update once a week, but we'll see how long I can keep that up._

_**ElisaD263** – Glad you liked the chapter._

_**RoryFaller** – Glad to add to the McKeller goodness, and glad you like it. The parts you mentioned were my favorite parts too._


	4. Chapter 4: The Future's Gonna Change

**Review Responses (See below)**

**Note: After struggling through four separate drafts of chapter three, I posted a not-quite-up-to-my-standards working copy of that chapter on the site. Reader response was positive, for which I thank you. However, I have altered the chapter, clearing up muddled language, adding a few character moments, and accounting for one character (Ronon), who, while present at the end of chapter two, mysteriously disappeared from a locked down infirmary before the events of three. (He does little in the revised chapter, but his existence is at least acknowledged.) No plot points have been added to the revised draft; ergo, rereading is not necessary to understand chapter four.**

**Temporal Reconnaissance**

**By: koinekid**

**Time Frame: After Identity (for Rodney and Jennifer); After The Return (for Atlantis)**

**Major Spoilers: 3x10, 11 The Return, 5x18 Identity**

**Minor Spoilers: 1x15 Before I Sleep, 3x17 Sunday, 3x20 First Strike, 4x2 Lifeline, **

*** * ***

_**Chapter Four: History's Gonna Change**_

_October 2006_

_Six Days After SGA-1 Retook Atlantis _

Jennifer glided her fingers over the frosted glass of the tabletop, finding it cooler to the touch than she remembered. Long ago, the city's ruling council sat in judgment behind this table, its leader in the center where Dr. Weir soon would sit, his co-councilors to either side and petitioners at the far ends of the half-octagon. Petitioners like Janus, the ultimate cause of her current...what? Predicament? Opportunity? It was too soon to tell.

Her dad used to say that Kellers don't deal in regrets, only missed opportunities. She'd aped the boast often enough, laughing when the homespun language frustrated her uptight Harvard classmates. Her personal life had been full of regrets: not asking Rodney to her room after their first drink, not telling him of her interest before his illness, then using Ronon's friendship to make him jealous... Professionally, though, her regrets were fewer in number, and she'd dealt with them.

Operating on Dr. Weir had been the right choice. Jennifer did everything she could to save her patient and would again without question. No regrets there. Nor had she thought twice about turning herself in to the wraith who had seized control of the _Daedalus_. On both occasions, she'd been criticized by more experienced members of the expedition. The first time she accepted the criticism; in neither case did she believe it was warranted. In neither was she sorry.

Would she be sorry after today's history-changing debriefing? Unlikely.

She tried to consider the situation logically because she knew Rodney wouldn't. His childlike joy at finding his best friend still alive suggested that the smartest man in two galaxies would be thinking with his heart not his head. Not that her well reasoned conclusion would differ substantially from his.

Conscience alone would have prevented Jennifer from turning the next two years into carbon copies of the originals. Rodney blamed himself for Carson's death and for Elizabeth's. While Jennifer did not share his guilt, her love for her mentor and her dedication to her patient would not allow her to send them blindly to their deaths. Dr. Weir once said she felt comfortable placing her life in Jennifer's hands. A wise decision, if ever there was one.

Still, their meddling in the timeline must be strategic. She would have dearly loved to talk that strategy over with Rodney, but he'd been sequestered in the infirmary since awakening. Carson had flatly refused to clear him for even limited duty after as severe a seizure as he suffered. Rodney went from embracing his best friend to pouting in the corner in record time. Jennifer wouldn't have cleared him either but had offered sympathy for his plight instead of letting him know that.

Dr. Weir arrived in the gate room, entering—Jennifer noted—from the direction of the infirmary. The expedition leader paused to survey the stargate. The gate was inactive, no unscheduled offworld activations or anything out of the ordinary to draw her attention. But that was the point, wasn't it? The gate itself was out of the ordinary, and the wonder of it all had never been lost on the woman. Jennifer honestly could not say that about Colonel Carter or Mr. Woolsey. For the one, the gate was a tool, a scientific wonder that, once understood, deserved no further consideration. For the other, it was a resource to be managed, a set of numbers to be crunched. Both leaders had been good for the expedition, but neither brought the relentless optimism that had been Elizabeth Weir's hallmark.

The chair Elizabeth took wasn't in the center but on the end next to Jennifer.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said, "insists on speaking with you before he tells us anything."

"Really?"

"That surprises you?"

"Rodney not charging blindly ahead?" Jennifer snorted. "That would surprise anyone who knows him."

Weir smiled. "Yes, it would."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes. "Was that a test?"

"Would it offend you if it were?"

Slowly, Jennifer shook her head. "You don't know me yet. Carson speaks well of me, I assume. I know Rodney does. But you need to get a read on me yourself. So, ask away."

The expedition leader's questions focused not on the future but on Jennifer. Her family, her schooling, even her relationship were topics for a discussion that more closely resembled an interview for a magazine article than an interrogation. Jennifer denied her few answers, recoiling only when asked about her mother's death. Either Elizabeth was trying to make her comfortable, or she was getting more from her answers than Jennifer intended to give.

"Well, then," Elizabeth said at last, "shall we call the others in?"

*** * ***

Rodney seated himself next to Jennifer. Before, he might have demurred to placate their straight-laced boss with the illusion that he and Jennifer were only colleagues. Without Woolsey to bother with, Rodney no longer cared. Still, he stopped short of actually touching her while powering up a tablet and setting it on the table in front of her. "What's your pleasure?"

"Pardon?"

He nudged the tablet closer. "It's a list of everything I remember, arranged chronologically with special emphasis given to the next few months. Your thoughts?"

They conferred in hushed tones while Elizabeth, Sheppard, and Teyla politely pretended not to listen. Unabashed, Ronon stared at the couple. Jennifer made a few suggestions, gesturing in silence when possible and matching Rodney's use of non-specific pronouns and innocuous terms when not. Brief arguments erupted as each remained obstinate that his or her view of history was the correct one. A half smile or loving look broke the tension more than once, and Rodney heard Sheppard remark that he'd never seen two people have so much fun arguing.

When they had a list both were happy with, Rodney closed the file, and the macro he'd programmed triple-encoded it. Jennifer raised a brow.

"A precaution," he said, "until we decide how to proceed."

He brought up the Tablet Input Panel and scrawled: Tell everything at once or a little at a time?

"It will be a lot to take in." She took the stylus from him and wrote: Let's be candid.

He nodded and said something that in retrospect even he recognized as incredibly stupid. "Elizabeth, if we don't do something soon, you and Carson are going to die."

Jennifer dropped her head into her hands. "A little blunt, don't you think?"

Rodney shrugged. "But candid."

*** * ***

"Why do you get to name it?"

Sheppard's self-satisfied grin spoke volumes, but Rodney fell for the bait, asserting his right of first discovery and vowing not to allow another "puddle jumper fiasco" after Sheppard offered up a few names. Jennifer hoped he was joking after he suggested "temporal reconnaissance thingy."

"It doesn't reconnoiter anything," Rodney insisted. "It transmits data through time. It's a temporal memory transmitter. That's what we're calling it."

Jennifer recognized what Sheppard was doing, had been doing the same thing herself in fact though teasing Rodney was not a method she'd have freely chosen. Elizabeth had blanched at the cavalier mention of her own death. Rodney meant well, but he could do with some lessons in tact. So, she and Sheppard had steered the conversation to safer topics while Elizabeth processed the unsettling revelation. Jennifer was glad Carson had not attended the briefing. She would sit him down later to discuss what they would have to do to preserve his life. Dealing with the overly emotional Scot was not something she could handle right now.

"Isn't 'temporal reconnaissance' your term, Rodney?" Sheppard said.

"For the process, not the device. Look, is this really important right now?"

"It's vital...for the reports." Sheppard turned to Jennifer. "So, Doc, what do you think we should name it?"

"Me? Oh, no." Jennifer shook her head. This had gone on long enough.

"You and Rodney discovered it together, so it's your call as much as his."

"I'd known about the device for weeks before it zapped us." Rodney looked at her almost pleading.

In another situation, Jennifer would have found the look endearing. "'Temporal memory transmitter' makes a lot of sense."

"Excellent name, Doc." Sheppard nodded resolutely. "See, Rodney, that's what a good name sounds like."

Weir rapped on the table. "This device—whatever you choose to name it—do we know if the alterations are permanent? Might your new memories fade with time?"

"All memories fade. It's just a matter of how quickly." Jennifer punched up Rodney's latest MRI. Just to check. She remembered how upset he'd gotten the last time she discussed his medical records without consulting him. Bringing up her scan instead, she slid the tablet over. "Notice the bright green portion?"

Weir nodded.

"That's the part of the brain associated with long term memory. The glowing indicates heightened activity. These memories may have been grafted in artificially, but our brains are treating them as natural. In my expert opinion, they're here to stay. For all intents and purposes, Rodney and I blacked out in 2008 and woke up in 2006."

"In _my_ expert opinion," Rodney added, "that's what Janus designed the TMT for. What better way to gather reliable intelligence than to live through the battle...or whatever...and send those memories back to when they would've been useful?"

"Which begs one very important tactical question." Sheppard sat up straight, tension evident in his rigid frame, a pose Jennifer thought signaled military alertness. "Why didn't Janus use it?"

"Maybe he did."

All eyes shifted to Ronon, and the Satedan looked uncomfortable. Finally, "Maybe the memories didn't help."

"Right." Sheppard snapped his fingers. "Like the Wraith were too strong or the Ancients in charge of the city were too pigheaded to listen."

Ronon shrugged. "Our commanders sometimes knew where the Wraith were going to be. Doesn't mean we won those battles."

Jennifer locked eyes with Rodney. The implication was clear: simply knowing the future isn't enough to change it.

"We will," he mouthed.

Beneath the table, she clutched his hand, propriety be damned.

"Before we take further action, we should examine the device," Weir said, "assuming that doing so won't Inadvertently activate it."

Rodney was shaking his head before she finished. "We can't open that lab. Not yet" Succinctly, he described the events surrounding the lab's original opening: his and Daniel's abduction by the Pegasus Asgard, his activating and subsequently deactivating the device, and his supposition that the unbroken seal was the only thing keeping the Asgard from detecting the Attero control module. He painted quite the heroic picture of himself as he described rescuing Daniel. Jennifer thought he was probably exaggerating a few of the particulars, but she didn't challenge him as she hadn't been there. Besides, he exaggerated too his culpability in the deaths resulting from the incident. She did challenge him on that.

At length, Elizabeth said, "A way to prevent the Wraith from utilizing hyperspace deserves looking into."

"Not if it costs thousands of lives," he insisted.

"Could you modify it?"

"So that it doesn't turn stargates into thermonuclear bombs?" Rodney shrugged. "Possibly, but the planet where the device is located is crawling with Asgard. Battle-suit-wearing, evil Asgard who don't care a whit about human life."

"I'm sure _our_ Asgard allies will be willing to offer assistance," Sheppard said.

"That's right, they're still around, aren't they? Well then, I suppose you're right. It is worth considering."

"Good," Elizabeth said. "I've contacted Stargate Command, and General Landry would like to debrief the two of you in person as soon as Carson clears you to travel."

Rodney reached for the tablet and unencrypted the file. "Just in case," he said.

What he meant by that, Jennifer hadn't a clue.

_**TBC**_

_**Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**_

_*** * ***_

**Review Responses**

_**BetherdyBabe** – I'm glad I confused you for _only_ a single chapter. Short of an author's note saying "Hey everybody, this is time travel!" which I was loathe to include, there really wasn't much else I could do. _

_Cute, eh? I'll have to do something extra manly today like chopping wood or lifting weights to make up for that. Eh, who am I kidding?_

_**DaniWilder** – Outstanding work? Not sure if I'd go that far, but thanks for the compliment. The "right mind" line seemed very Sheppardesque when it occurred to me._

_**ElisaD263** – I'm sure Rodney will be suitably embarrassed about hugging Carson later. Sheppard will make sure of it. The time travel angle is easy to make clichéd. I hope to make this story original enough to justify the cliché._


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